The present invention relates to lug wrench carriers in general. More specifically, to a carrier that locks a four-way lug-wrench onto a spare tire that is located on a vehicle or trailer to prevent theft of both the vehicle spare tire and the lug wrench.
Previously, many types of wheel carrier brackets have been used to provide an effective means of securing a spare tire to a vehicle or trailer. In the past, elaborate brackets have been developed that attach a spare tire and wheel directly to the bed of a pickup truck or to a sidewall of a vehicle. Lug wrenches were usually stored in a separate location in the vehicle or trailer, as an accessory which is typically rather simple in construction when furnished by the original equipment manufacturer. A four-way lug-wrench has much greater utility, furthermore the combination of a wrench and a carrier has not been used in the past by the known prior art, other than my own patent that will issue shortly, for preventing theft of both a wrench and a spare tire and wheel.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that are similar to the claims of the instant invention, however the following U.S. patents are considered related:
Other references
My application Ser. No. 09/552,548 is presently in the issue phase, and is for my original invention which is the basis to which this improvement is directed. The patent application is entitled: Locking Four Way Lug Wrench Carrier, which discloses most of the same elements, however my improvement simplifies the basic novelty of the invention by eliminating the emblem, plate, retainer and locking cover. The padlock is now located on the outside of a locking plate held in place with a set of legs penetrating therethrough and covered with a baby-moon hub cap, which is a major saving in manufacturing costs and improves the overall appearance.
Norris in U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,863 teaches an upright, vertically-extendible frame that includes depending feet that rest upon the flooring of a pickup truck bed with an upper projecting abutment that engages the side wall of a pickup truck bed. A frame includes a clamp that engages the vehicle wheel and tire assembly against one side of the frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,865,291 issued to Tidwell is for a spare tire holder that includes an elongated spine provided with clamps for clamping its upper end to the top of a pickup truck bedside wall. The adjustable parts of the clamps are so located as to not interfere with the mounting of a camper in the bed of a pickup truck. Wheel securing arrangements fastened several sizes of truck wheels to the spines of the holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,843,033 of Wirth discloses a tire and wheel carrier mounted in a rack for a pickup truck. The carrier has a base that is mounted to the floor of the truck and includes a pair of spaced upright rods that are secured to a base element, thus making it vertically adjustable relative to the base element. A top element is secured to the rods and also the overhanging flange of the truck bed. A holding unit secures the wheel and tire assembly to the rods in a protected and rigid manner.
Daughhetee in U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,972 teaches a spare tire bracket that is mounted on the rear end of a pickup truck or the trunk of an automobile. A support assembly is secured to the vehicle by an anchor and the invention includes a tire connector, which is mountable to the wheel of a spare tire. The tire connector includes a yoke with a threaded member connected to a lock clamp that is removable when not in use.
For background purposes and as indicative of the art to which the invention is related reference may be made to U.S. Pat. No. 3,688,954 issued to Neal on Sept. 11, 1972.
In common usage, today""s spare tires are normally stored in wheel wells in the trunk of an automobile and are protected by being inside the trunk, which has a locked deck lid. Recently, the popularity of pick up trucks, four-wheel- drive sports utility vehicles and vans have created a different problem in that the spare tire is often stored on the outside of the vehicle and as such is subject to theft if not protected by a lock. Further, most lug-wrenches provided by the original equipment manufacturers are rather simple and not particularly convenient to use. Four-way lug-wrenches have been in use, for decades and are fast to use with a length that is easy to use and robust in construction. My previous patent application along with this improvement solves the problem by combining storage and spare wheel protection by the retention of a four-way lug wrench located on top of the wheel. This is accomplished by the use of a locked device that is attached to the spare tire and wheel bracket or directly to the vehicle, and uses the lug wrench as a barrier, thus preventing removal of the wheel and lug-wrench unless unlocked.
The primary object of the improvement to the invention is the simplicity that is afforded by eliminating some of the rather complex and labor intensive components and by creating a unique method of attaching the lock, which is easy to accomplish. As previously mentioned, the improvement eliminates some of the components and replaces them with simplified elements that are easier to manufacture and create a more pleasing appearance. The original emblem plate, retainer and locking cover are replaced with a simple flat locking plate that covers most of the lug-wrench and is held in place by a set of longer legs on the wrench carrier body that penetrate apertures in the plate. The shackle also penetrates the carrier body, and a padlock attached permanently to the plate receives the shackle and locks it into place securely. An optional baby moon hub cap covers the outside surface of the plate for aesthetic reasons, all of which create a major saving in manufacturing costs and improves the overall appearance.
An important object of the invention along with this improvement is realized since the exterior tire brackets have become more popular and the demand for such theft protection is obviously needed in the United States. Furthermore, the entire market of trailers for boats, horses, and utility hauling have been with us for as long as internal combustion vehicles have been in use and have had the same problems with external mounting of spare tire and wheel assemblies. The instant invention fills this long felt need by accomplishing the task of providing a convenient yet out of the way and secure place to store the lug-wrench and provide anti-theft protection at the same time. Four-way lug-wrenches by themselves are not so expensive that they need to be specifically locked up however, when one is required their usage is urgent, which increases the invention""s utility.
Another object of the improved invention is that its usage is almost universal as it will function with any wheel that has a standard bolt pattern since the locking mechanism is first attached to the vehicle spare tire bracket studs using a thin push nut to hold it in place. The actual tire size is of little importance as the wrench carrier is adjustable for tire width. This adjustability is important as tire sizes and rim diameters vary considerably in the industry and utility of the vehicle.
Still another object of the improved invention is that almost any four-way lug-wrench may be used with no modification required. In this country, so-called ⅝ inch diameter wrenches have sockets, to fit {fraction (11/16)}, xc2xe, {fraction (13/16)} and xe2x85x9e sockets while the xc2xe-inch diameter wrenches historically fit xe2x85x9e. {fraction (15/16)}, 1 and 1{fraction (1/16)}. Metric sizes are also commonly available in the 17 to 22 mm sizes, all of which function properly with the invention. Obviously the wrench shaft size must be considered, but the carrier itself varies only slightly in size and the width of the open-ended slots formed into the invention that receive the wrench.
Yet another object of the improved invention is its adaptability to fit most vehicle spare tire brackets. Since the original equipment manufacturers fabricate a bracket to fit the wheel rim and most wheels in the industry are similar in construction, no modification is required for the use of the invention as it is only necessary to install a slotted flange that is provided between the bracket and the wheel hub. The flange is slotted to include a pattern that will fit all vehicles using conventional bolt circles in their wheels.
A further object is disclosed that if only the four-way lug-wrench is to be stored and locked in place without the spare tire and rim, the invention may be mounted directly to a vehicle bulkhead or trailer wall by using a similar pre-drilled bulkhead mounting plate having no slots but a centered short threaded stud to accommodate the invention. The plate can be secured with conventional nuts and bolts or self-tapping screws.